Associations of life’s essential 8 with extent of multi-territorial atherosclerotic plaques and stenosis: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Background Life’s Essential 8 (LE8), the recently updated construct for quantifying cardiovascular health, is related to the risks of cardiovascular events. The present study aimed to evaluate associations of LE8 score with the multi-territorial extent of atherosclerosis in a community-dwelling population. Methods Data were derived from the baseline cross-sectional survey of the PolyvasculaR Evaluation for Cognitive Impairment and vaScular Events (PRECISE) study in Lishui City. The LE8 included overall, medical and behavior LE8 scores, and were categorized as low (< 60), moderate (60-<80), and high (≥ 80) groups. Vascular magnetic resonance imaging was used to evaluate intracranial and extracranial arteries; thoracoabdominal computed tomography angiography to evaluate coronary, subclavian, aorta, renal, ilio-femoral arteries; and ankle-brachial index to evaluate peripheral arteries. The presence of atherosclerotic plaque or stenosis in any territory was defined as plaque or vascular stenosis with 1 territory affected or more in these arteries. The extent of atherosclerotic plaques or stenosis was assessed according to the number of these 8 vascular sites affected, and graded as four grades (none, single territory, 2–3 territories, 4–8 territories). Results Of 3065 included participants, the average age was 61.2 ± 6.7 years, and 53.5% were women ( n = 1639). The moderate and high overall LE8 groups were associated with lower extent of multi-territorial plaques common odds ratio (cOR) 0.44, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.35–0.55; cOR 0.16, 95%CI, 0.12–0.21; respectively and stenosis (cOR 0.51, 95%CI, 0.42–0.62; cOR 0.16, 95%CI, 0.12–0.21; respectively) after adjustment for potential covariates. Similar results were observed for medical LE8 score with the extent of multi-territorial plaques and stenosis ( P < 0.05). We also found the association between behavior LE8 score and the extent of multi-territorial stenosis ( P < 0.05). Conclusions The higher LE8 scores, indicating healthier lifestyle, were associated with lower presence and extent of atherosclerotic plaque and stenosis in southern Chinese adults. Prospective studies are needed to further validate these findings.